1931 Open Championship

The 1968 Open Championship was the 97th Open Championship, played 10–13 July at Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland. Gary Player won the second of his three Open titles, two strokes ahead of runners-up Bob Charles and Jack Nicklaus. It was the fifth of Player's nine major titles. This Open introduced the second cut at 54 holes, used through 1985. In addition, starting with this Championship all past Open champions were exempt from qualifying (though, eventually, an age restriction was placed on past champions). The inaugural Greater Milwaukee Open was held in the United States during the same week, with a first prize of $40,000, over five times the winner's share of the Open Championship, which was $7,200 (£3,000). The PGA Championship was played the next week in San Antonio, Texas, the fifth and final time in the 1960s that these two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July. The PGA Championship moved permanently to August in 1969 (except 1971, when it was played in late February) and remained there until 2019, when it moved to May between The Masters and U.S. Open.

The 1937 Open Championship was the 72nd Open Championship, held 7–9 July at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland. Henry Cotton won the second of his three Open titles, two strokes ahead of runner-up Reg Whitcombe. The Ryder Cup was held in late June at Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club in North West England, and all the members of the victorious American team played in the championship, creating a star-studded field, similar to four years earlier in 1933. Qualifying took place on 5–6 July, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes on the Medal Course (the championship course) and 18 holes on the Burnside Course. The number of qualifiers was increased to the top 140 and ties, having previously been the top 100 and ties. Two-time Masters champion Horton Smith led the qualifiers on 138; the qualifying score was 157 and 141 players advanced, and all the American Ryder Cup players qualified comfortably.In the opening round on Wednesday, Ed Dudley took the lead with a 70. Reg Whitcombe led after the first two rounds at two-under 142, with his brother Charles and Dudley two behind on 144, and Cotton was tied for fourth at 146. Only the leading forty players and ties made the 36-hole cut, which was at 153 (+9) and 47 advanced. Previously the top sixty and ties made the cut.The final two rounds on Friday were played in a steady, cold rain. Whitcombe maintained his lead with a third-round 74, two shots ahead of his brother, while Cotton moved up to three behind. The weather proved to be Whitcombe's downfall in the final round; on the 7th tee, his club slipped out of his hands as he was swinging and the ball traveled only 40 yards (37 m). He ended up taking a six and finished with a 76 and 292 total. Cotton did not seem affected by the conditions and arrived at the 18th needing only a six to lead. His approach shot found a greenside bunker, but he was able to get down in five to post a 290 total. Only Charles Whitcombe could catch Cotton, but his 76 and 294 finished four strokes behind in fourth place.The American contingent included Byron Nelson and Sam Snead, both of whom were making their Open Championship debuts. Nelson finished fifth but played the Open just once more, returning in 1955. Snead tied for eleventh and played in four more, winning his next in 1946 at St. Andrews. The non-playing captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, four-time Open champion Walter Hagen, tied for 26th place in his final Open appearance at age 44. In his last Open Championship as an amateur, nineteen-year-old Bobby Locke was the only amateur to make the cut and tied for seventeenth. As a professional, he won four times (1949, 1950, 1952, 1957).

The 2007 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 136th Open Championship, played from 19–22 July at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland. Pádraig Harrington defeated Sergio García in a playoff to take the title and his first major championship.A field of 156 players participated in the championship, and the purse was £4.2 million (an increase of £200,000 over 2006); the winner received £750,000 (an increase of £30,000 over 2006). Using conversion rates at the time of the tournament, the purse was €6,158,474 for the European Tour's Order of Merit rankings and US$8,637,720 for the PGA Tour's money list.

Carnoustie Golf Links is in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Carnoustie has four courses – the historic Championship Course, the Burnside Course, the Buddon Links Course and a free-to-play short, five-hole course called The Nestie. Carnoustie Golf Links is one of the venues in the Open Championship rotation and has hosted golf's oldest major on eight occasions (1931, 1937, 1953, 1968, 1975, 1999, 2007, 2018), as well as the Senior Open Championship in 2010 and 2016 and the Women's British Open in 2011 and 2021.

The 1953 Open Championship was the 82nd Open Championship, held 8–10 July at the Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. In his only Open Championship appearance, Ben Hogan prevailed by four strokes over four runners-up to win his third major championship of the year.The total prize money was increased by nearly fifty per cent, from £1,700 to £2,500. The winner received £500, with £300 for second, £200 for third, £100 for fourth, £75 for fifth, £30 for next 20, and then £25 each for the remaining players. There was also a £15 prize for winning the qualification event and four £15 prizes for the lowest score in each round. The purse of £2,500 ($7,000) and the winner's share of £500 ($1,400), were less than one-third that of the U.S. Open or PGA Championship in 1953. Qualifying took place on 6–7 July, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes each on the Championship and Burnside courses. The number of qualifiers was limited to a maximum of 100, and ties for 100th place would not qualify. On Monday, John Panton led the qualifiers on the Championship course after a 69 while Bobby Locke scored 65 on the Burnside course. Locke's scored 71 on the second day and a total of 136 put him five shots ahead of the rest. Panton and Christy O'Connor were next on 141, and Hogan qualified comfortably on 145. Peter Thomson, the 1952 runner-up, only just qualified on 154 after taking 80 on the Championship course. The qualifying score was 154 and 91 players advanced.Hogan, with the Masters and U.S. Open titles, made the trip across the Atlantic for the Open Championship for the only time in his career. He arrived at Carnoustie two weeks early to practice with the smaller British golf ball. The policy of requiring all players to qualify, the small purse, the lengthy ocean voyage, and the conflict of schedule with the PGA Championship kept all but a few Americans at home; only four qualified for the first round on Wednesday, and three made the 36-hole cut to play the final two rounds on Friday. A maximum of 50 players could make the cut after 36 holes, and ties for 50th place were not included; it was at 154 (+10) and 49 advanced to the final two rounds. Although the field of 91 that qualified was mostly British, a strong international contingent stood ready to challenge Hogan, including fellow Americans Lloyd Mangrum and Frank Stranahan, Thomson of Australia, Antonio Cerdá and Roberto De Vicenzo of Argentina, and Locke of South Africa, the defending champion.The Open Championship was Hogan's third major title of the year, but the modern Grand Slam was not possible, as the PGA Championship conflicted with the Open in 1953; the final match (36 holes) of the seven-day PGA Championship was played near Detroit on Tuesday, 7 July. After his automobile accident in 1949, Hogan did not enter the PGA Championship until 1960, after it became a stroke play event. He had won the PGA Championship in 1946 and 1948 before the accident. Hogan did not play in another Open Championship, although he did make a lasting impression on Carnoustie. The par-5 6th hole features a split fairway, with the right side being safer but the left offering a better angle to the green. Hogan found the narrow left side in each of the four rounds, and that hole is now known as "Hogan's Alley." Hogan remains the only player to win the Masters, U.S. Open, and Open Championship in the same calendar year. After winning the first two majors of the year, Arnold Palmer (1960) and Jack Nicklaus (1972) were runners-up by a stroke. Tiger Woods won the Masters and U.S. Open in 2002, but shot 81-65 on the weekend to finish six strokes back at Muirfield, tied for 28th place. At St. Andrews in 2015, Jordan Spieth bogeyed the 71st hole (Road) and missed a three-man playoff by one stroke. After the win, Hogan and his wife Valerie were passengers on the SS United States westbound to New York City, where he received a ticker tape parade down Broadway on July 21.

The 2018 Open Championship was the 147th Open Championship and was held from 19–22 July 2018 at Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland. It was the eighth Open Championship to be played at Carnoustie. Playing conditions were unusual as a result of the heatwave in Scotland which had produced brown, dry and sun-baked fairways and brown rough. The fairways played quickly, enabling several players to hit drives that covered over 400 yards.Francesco Molinari posted a bogey-free final round of 69 to win his first major championship. Molinari finished two shots ahead of Kevin Kisner, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele. He became the first Italian player to win a major.

The 2021 AIG Women's British Open was played from 19 to 22 August in Scotland at Carnoustie Golf Links. It was the 45th Women's British Open, the 21st as a major championship on the LPGA Tour, and the second championship held under a sponsorship agreement with AIG, which has rebranded the championship to remove the word "British" and run as the 2021 AIG Women's Open.It was the second Women's British Open at Carnoustie, following the course's event debut in 2011, which was won by Taiwanese golfer Yani Tseng. The R&A also allowed the return of spectators, after the 2020 Women's British Open was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

The 2010 Senior Open Championship was a senior major golf championship and the 24th Senior Open Championship, held from 22–25 July at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland. It was the first Senior Open Championship played at the course and the eighth Senior Open Championship played as a senior major championship. World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer won by one stroke over 1995 U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin. The 2010 event was Langer's first senior major championship victory.

The 1999 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 128th Open Championship, held from 15 to 18 July at the Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland. Paul Lawrie won his only major championship in a playoff over Jean van de Velde and Justin Leonard. Lawrie, down by ten strokes at the start of the fourth round, completed the biggest final round comeback in major championship history, headlined by van de Velde's triple-bogey at the last hole.

The 2011 Ricoh Women's British Open was held 28–31 July at Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland. It was the 35th Women's British Open, and the 11th as a major championship on the LPGA Tour. This was the first time for the Women's British Open at Carnoustie, which previously hosted seven Open Championships, most recently in 2007. Yani Tseng became the first to successfully defend her title at the Women's British Open as a major championship, four strokes ahead of runner-up Brittany Lang. She became youngest player, male or female, to win five major titles.

The 1975 Open Championship was the 104th Open Championship, played 9–13 July at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland. In his first Open, Tom Watson won an 18-hole playoff by one stroke over Jack Newton to win the first of his eight major titles, which included five Open Championships.

The Barry Burn, otherwise known as Pitairlie Burn is a minor river in Angus, Scotland. It rises in the eastern portion of the Sidlaw Hills and flows past Newbigging, through Barry and the western part of Carnoustie, before taking a meandering course through Carnoustie Golf Links.